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The Clark Howard Podcast — Business
The Clark Howard Podcast

Save more and spend less is more than just a motto for money expert Clark Howard; it’s a way of life. Clark and his crew — Team Clark — are on a mission to empower people to take control of their personal finances by providing money-saving tips, consumer advice, hot deals and economic news to help everyone achieve financial freedom. Clark is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host and a consumer reporter for television stations around the country. His podcast, The Clark Howard Show, receives more than one million downloads each month and is a hub for listeners to get valuable advice on-demand any time. Clark answers questions on the most popular business and consumer topics including; how to buy a cars, financing a home, retirement planning, shopping for insurance and getting the most out of your savings. Join the conversation and submit your question to www.clark.com/askclark . Clark spearheads two free resources — Clark.com and ClarkDeals.com — to encourage consumers to save more, spend less and avoid ripoffs.

Copyright: Copyright © 2023 Clark Howard Inc. All rights reserved.

Latest Episodes:

10.31.19 Best HSA providers; New TX 403b law is terrible for teachers; Student loan regrets Oct 31, 2019

Show notes

Clark talks about the best places to open an HSA. Some providers do a better job for people attempting to save money in their HSA while other providers do a better job helping people invest well inside of their HSA. Two of the best overall providers are Fidelity and Lively.

A new TX law allows sky high fees inside of teacher 403b plans. This is Clarkrageous and will have a major impact on the overall amount that teachers will have saved in retirement.

Most people taking out student loans will be paying on them for close to 20 years. Clark has recommendations for paying off your student loans more quickly and how to avoid student loan regret.

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10.30.19 Economic growth is slowing; Predatory online installment loans; Grocery delivery Oct 30, 2019

Show notes

Clark discusses the fed rate cut and how the economy is slowing.

Online installment loans are rising to prominence. The interest rates are almost as high as payday loans. You should never sign up for an installment loan when attempting to purchase something online.

Amazon has stopped charging grocery delivery fees for Amazon Prime members. Clark discusses the details and what this means for Amazon competitors also prioritizing home grocery delivery.

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10.29.19 Open enrollment info; Creepy new interview technology; Cutting real estate agent fees Oct 29, 2019

Show notes

Open enrollment is near for corporate workers and individuals on the federal exchange. Employers are facing major cost pressures providing healthcare for workers. Strategies to reduce costs include sending workers to seek out of state care, and in rare cases care outside the U.S. This is a result of the hospital system chokeholds in most metros. Employers may waive your deductible if you go out of market for specific care. Read your open enrollment kit carefully. Look closely at deductibles. You may be better off with a lower premium with higher out of pocket, depending on your situation. For individuals buying coverage, you’ll see more plans offered and insurers returning to exchanges in metro areas. This year, be aware there are fake sites. Healthcare.gov offers compliant plans with no limits and coverage for preexisting conditions.

The Washington Post reports on how some employers are using an AI algorithm that scans faces during video interviews. Expressions, eye contact and enthusiasm is all analyzed, responses dissected – to help employers eliminate candidates. Applicants are not told their score on this algorithm. College career counseling centers now need to coach new grads on how to deal with this capability, called HireVue. The reality is almost all jobs are found via informal connections. Going through company AI with face scanning is garbage. Who you know is core and key to getting an opportunity with most companies.

Real estate access to information for buyers and sellers is the best it’s ever been. Zillow, Trulia and others provide instant info on homes for sale. Pre-internet house hunting, Clark recommended the hundred home rule – See at least 20 out of 100 home selections. Today you can get a sense of real estate anywhere almost immediately, making the industry more transparent. But the transaction process is slower to change. Having an agent at a fixed commission of around 6% is now getting pushback and alternatives are emerging. Sellers can hire an a la carte agency or pay hourly fees. Many business models are coming alive. What has not changed: When doing a FSBO, protect the agent that brings you a buyer with 2-3% commission. In addition to using all the new tools, Clark remains old school in the belief that for most, having an experienced real estate agent is still the best way. Many transactions fall apart due to emotional issues. That’s when an agent can be key in getting a deal done. In this regard, real estate has changed less than many other industries, with the new advantage of abundant information and transparency – fantastic for buyers and sellers.

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10.28.19 Affordable housing; Deals for first responders; Take your vacation time! Oct 28, 2019

Show notes

Affordable housing is in short supply in the U.S. these days. It hasn’t been this difficult to acquire affordable housing since 1948. Restrictive zoning – a NIMBY problem, has made it difficult to impossible for builders. But zoning changes are making affordable housing more possible. A few months ago metro Minneapolis passed such zoning changes. Now Oregon has passed a law to phase in by 2021 to allow second structures and garage apartments. Many young adults under 40 have been shut out of the housing market. New methods of construction make it more cost effective to build affordable housing. The irony is that the hotel business is at the forefront of using these methods. The U.S. should become experimental and look at technologies including 3-D printing to fill the shortage in affordable housing.

State and local law enforcement, firefighters and EMTs are honored today. Announced today and available Nov. 1st – T-Mobile’s half price Magenta plan for first responders. This works like T-Mobile’s Magenta Military Plan - $10 a month per person after the first 2, and new phones for half price. AT&T and Verizon usually respond in kind with such deals.

A Priceline survey says more than half of all U.S. workers with a paid vacation benefit don’t take it! One third do not use up half their vacation allotment. That’s loco. If there’s unspoken pressure at work, that’s an idiot employer. Your performance deteriorates and loyalty diminishes when work is an endless treadmill. Taking time and getting away to clear your head is extremely valuable. Take your time off and cherish being with family/friends and experiencing other things. You come back better at what you do. None of us are indispensable. Please take your time off.

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10.25.19 Electronic wills are becoming legal in states across the country; Clark Stinks Oct 25, 2019

Show notes

More people would be willing to create a will if the process was easier. So states across the country are changing laws to allow people to create their will completely online.

Christa reads listener posts about how Clark has missed the mark in his advice this week. If you have a "Clark Stinks" to share you can leave it here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10.24.19 Non-compete clauses are awful; Moviepass STILL charging people money; Drone delivery Oct 24, 2019

Show notes

Two US Senators have introduced legislation to get rid of non-compete clauses in almost all cases. This is GREAT news because these non-compete clauses are terrible for individual earnings an the overall economy.

Moviepass has gone out of business after disappointing millions of customers. But Moviepass is STILL charging money to their former customers. This is truly Clarkrageous.

Drone delivery is coming. And actually, it's here. Google Wing is actually delivering some packages in a test market. Drone deliveries are one areas of tech we should continue to watch because it is going to change the way we receive packages and could end up saving companies and consumers money in the future.

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10.23.19 Delaying school start times; Apple parental controls; Hackers invading online shopping carts Oct 23, 2019

Show notes

California has passed legislation to delay school start times. This is great for kids!

Apple's parental controls for Screen Time have been easily bypassed by kids. Parents need to take more proactive approaches towards limiting technology use by their children.

Hackers are stealing personal information while you are purchasing things online. Clark tells you what you need to know and how to protect yourself.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10.22.19 New Walmart health centers; Equifax PIN update; Will the Boeing Max fly soon? Oct 22, 2019

Show notes

Walmart is launching new healthcare centers around the nation. And up-front pricing is making things more transparent. You can get urgent care, x-rays, counseling, dental, and optical services at these new and innovative health centers.

Equifax has responded to a recent inquiry from the Clark Howard Show. They don't require your PIN number in order to freeze or thaw your credit. This puts you at risk. This is not ok and it needs to change.

The Boeing Max is still being investigated. The software for the planes is being updated in order to attempt to get safe planes into the air. Clark is not happy that no-one has gone to jail over this and that the CEO has not, at minimum, lost his job.

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10.21.19 Commute times hit record high; More reasons to beware of full commission stock brokers; Warning for joint account holders Oct 21, 2019

Show notes

Americans are doing record time on the roads in traffic crawling to work. As many metros have developed by sprawl, public transit is not the answer. Solutions require behavior changes, including from employers. To increase employee happiness and retention, they need to flex on how and when you work. Allow employees to work from home at least 1 day a week. Depending on the job, work from home can be done most or all of the time. Often productivity is higher at home. Flex schedules are helpful for workers too, allowing workers to shift their hours to avoid heavy traffic. In congested cities, some are turning to electric-assist bikes, as cheap as $500, for bike lane commutes under 10 miles.

Full commission stock brokers are often tied to giant monster mega-banks. Wells Fargo, BOA's Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and UBS are the big 4. A recent study by Cerulli Associates found that these 4 overwhelmingly put their investors into high cost mutual funds. They are not bound by the fiduciary standard. Go to an independent fee-only financial advisor or a low-cost mutual fund company instead.

When you allow an authorized user on your credit card, you're creating potential hardship for yourself. The user has no responsibility for the debt they rack up. Don't make these decisions lightly. We hear the consequences when things goes wrong.

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10.18.19 Scammers are finding it easier to dupe people on internet marketplaces; Clark Stinks Oct 18, 2019

Show notes

The BBB has issued a new scam warning. Historically, scams have most often come via phone. Now, the most common point of scam contact is on social media. The most common way people have money stolen from them is on social media. The second most common scam point of contact: websites, like Craigslist or eBay. People are more than 5 times more likely to get taken on social media than with a con artist on the phone - 4 times more likely on social vs. through the mail. Beware.

Christa reads listener posts about how Clark has missed the mark in his advice this week. If you have a "Clark Stinks" to share you can leave it here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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